The invention described herein relates to systems for indicating the status of a hotel room, hotel suite, hotel apartment or the like, such as for indicating certain requirements of a hotel guest to hotel staff and others, and more particularly to a system which replaces the conventional xe2x80x9cdo not disturbxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cmaid servicexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chousekeepingxe2x80x9d signs in hotel guestrooms.
People who stay in hotels and motels are familiar with what are commonly known as xe2x80x9cdo not disturbxe2x80x9d signs. Such signs are typically small rectangular paper or plastic signs which may be hung on the outside handle or doorknob of the door of a hotel guestroom to indicate that the guest staying in that room desires privacy. Typically, one face of such a sign will bear the words xe2x80x9cdo not disturbxe2x80x9d, or something to that effect, and may bear a symbol representing this sentiment.
Also familiar to hotel guests are similar signs which might be called xe2x80x9cmaid servicexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chousekeepingxe2x80x9d signs, which, when placed on the outer side of the hotel room door, indicate to the housekeeping staff of the hotel that the guest desires the room to be xe2x80x9cmade upxe2x80x9d (the bed linens changed, the bathroom tidied, towels replaced, etc.). Such a sign is often hung out by the guest upon leaving the room for an extended period of time so that the room might be made up before he or she returns to the room.
In most hotels, a combination sign is used, one side of the sign showing xe2x80x9cdo not disturbxe2x80x9d, and the other indicating xe2x80x9chousekeepingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmaid servicexe2x80x9d.
While such signs have been used in hotels for decades, they have certain disadvantages which the invention described herein overcomes. One such disadvantage is that such signs may be lost or misplaced, so that a guest may not be able to hang it outside of the door when desired. Such signs also become damaged and so require periodic replacement at considerable expense. Such signs also require that the hotel door be opened to hang the sign outside, where it is visible. It may in fact be inconvenient for the guest, or otherwise undesired by the guest, to open the hotel room door to hang the sign outside, especially when the guest is seeking privacy. It may in some instances be dangerous to do so. If the hotel guest has decided not to place the sign outside the door due to inconvenience or danger, there is a risk that the guest will be disturbed by an unwanted intrusion.
A further disadvantage of the current xe2x80x9cdo not disturbxe2x80x9d signs is that they are subject to being interfered with by vandals or jokesters. A sign displaying xe2x80x9cdo not disturbxe2x80x9d can be changed to xe2x80x9cmaid service pleasexe2x80x9d, or completely removed, by a stranger as a joke or act of vandalism, without the knowledge of the occupant of the room, with the result that again the hotel guest will likely be disturbed by an unwanted intrusion.
Another disadvantage of such signs, which is overcome by one embodiment of the current invention, is that they can be read only from a location quite close to the room in question. A maid cannot tell from a distance which rooms are available to be made up, and must walk to the vicinity of each room. The current signs cannot indicate directly to the central housekeeping office, for example, that a room is ready to be xe2x80x9cmade-upxe2x80x9d; a housekeeper must discover this for his or herself by walking past the room and noticing the sign.
While reference is made herein to hotel rooms and hotel guests as the occupants of such rooms, it will be apparent that while the invention is particularly suited to hotels and motels, it has application to any private room for temporary or permanent lodging which requires periodic servicing, such as hotel rooms, motel rooms, hotel apartments, private rooms in hospitals or rest homes, and apartments in senior citizen homes. Where a reference is made herein to a hotel guest or occupant therefore, it is intended that such reference also applies to any temporary or permanent occupant of any such rooms, including a staff member of the hotel who may wish to leave an indication of the status of the room.
The present invention provides a system for indicating the status of a hotel room to hotel staff and others and comprises selecting means allowing a hotel guest to select a message to be conveyed to a recipient, the selecting means accessible to the hotel guest within the interior of a hotel room. The system also comprises indicating means connected to the selecting means for indicating the message selected by the hotel guest to the recipient, the indicating means being accessible to the recipient outside of the hotel room.
More particularly, the invention provides, in a multiple-room building, where a plurality of rooms are each connected by a doorway to a common corridor, a system for indicating the status of one of the rooms comprising selecting means allowing an occupant of the room to select a message to be conveyed to a recipient in the common corridor, the selecting means being accessible to the occupant within the interior of the room, and indicating means electrically connected to the selecting means for indicating the message selected by the occupant to the recipient when the message is selected, the indicating means being viewable by the recipient from the common corridor; wherein the selecting means comprises a switch assembly mounted within the room, the switch assembly comprising a switch switchable between an xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d position and an xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position, the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position representing the occupant""s selection of a particular pre-determined message, the switch assembly comprising means for indicating to the occupant the message associated with the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position; and wherein the indicating means comprises an indicating assembly mounted in the common corridor, the indicating assembly comprising a message indicator corresponding to the switch xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position such that when a switch xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position is selected by the occupant, the corresponding message indicator indicates the predetermined message intended to be conveyed by the occupant to a recipient.
The present invention may comprise a plurality of switches, each switch being switchable between an xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d position and an xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position, each xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position representing a particular pre-determined message desired to be conveyed to the recipient .or a switch switchable between an xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d position and a plurality of xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d positions, each one of the switch xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d positions representing the occupant""s selection of a particular pre-determined message. The indicator assembly may further comprise a doorbell actuator adapted to actuate doorbell sounding means located within the room. The indicator assembly may further comprise a room number. The indicator assembly and said switch assembly may each further comprise intercom activation means and intercom microphone/speaker means which are electrically connected to activate intercom communication between the interior of the room and the corridor. Preferably the system is controlled by a microprocessor which may be electrically connected to a remote location either through the hotel telephone system or otherwise. The system may also comprise a room status indicator which uses a sensor on the door and motion or heat sensors to determine when the room is occupied.